Corn Festival parade marks 65 years of tradition

LA HABRA – As a high school band paraded down La Habra Boulevard on Saturday, Debbie Dominguez stood along the crowded sidewalk with thousands of other parade watchers, smiling at the procession and waving at familiar faces. This has become a tradition for Dominguez, 40, of Hacienda Heights, who grew up in La Habra and has been attending the La Habra Corn Festival Parade since she was a little girl.

"If you come as a child, you tend to come back," she said.

Dominguez's father has lived in the area for more than 65 years and she finds it touching that he continues to invite her back for the parade, rekindling childhood memories. The city's "small town feel" is apparent in such community-oriented events, drawing out families and residents of all ages.

"We live in a society that is very media focused where you don't need to interact, but this gives you an opportunity to come out and see who you live with," Dominguez said.

The parade is one of several activities taking place this weekend during the 65th annual La Habra Corn Festival at El Centro Lions Park, a three-day event attracting thousands of local residents. Hosted by the La Habra Lions Club, it has since grown to become the city's largest fundraising festival, with proceeds benefitting local charities.

The festivities included a numerous contests – corn eating, cutest babyt, doggie costume and apple pie baking, as well as numerous rides and games booths. All food vendors at the festival are nonprofit organizations and nearly a dozen live entertainment acts are performing over the weekend. Visitors also had the opportunity to enter in a raffle for a new Ford F-150 and meet Miss La Habra and her court.

As per tradition, 14,000 ears of corn freshly picked Wednesday were driven down from the Stockton area for the festival.

"When they started the corn festival, most people were from the Midwest. They wanted a community event to raise money for charities and corn is what they knew," said Randy McMillan, 64, a 56-year city resident and 25-year member and past president of the local Lions Club.

KTLA/9 weekend news anchors Chris Burrous, Lu Parker, and Liberte Chan were the grand marshalls for the parade, which had about 90 entries.

The corn festival has become a family event for La Habra resident Bridget Vornholt, 44, who watched the parade with her two young children as well as her friend Krissy Rushing, 38, of Fullerton and her father Bill Donoghue, 81, of Anaheim. She said that she has brought her kids to the festival for the past five years because there is something for everyone and it's a great local community event.

"It makes it feel like La Habra is a town rather than a suburb of...all these larger cities," Vornholt said.

The festival creates a sense of nostalgia, Donoghue said, because it is reminiscent of when his own children used to watch him in the Anaheim parade as a member of the Anaheim police department.